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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. race — a contest
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. race — the arms race
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a dance
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. race — humankind
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com